Yeah, but someone makes sure we're playing out here.

I just want to make sure you actually have a check in point.

Thank you.

Oh, you can't do that.

All right, good evening, everyone.

It is 5 34.

We are now going to go ahead and begin our public hearing.

I do want to remind everyone that we need to have everyone seated for safety purposes.

There is an overflow room if you are unable to find a seat in here, and you can just come out and turn to the left and staff will direct you to the overflow room.

So Madam Clerk, please call the role.

Vice Mayor Bagley.

Councilman McGee.

Here.

Councilman Chapman.

Councilman Elmuby.

Here.

Councilwoman Green.

Okay.

So before we go into our first speaker, I just want to remind everyone that this is a public meeting for the purpose of conducting the city's business.

We encourage participation.

We encourage engagement.

Signs are appropriate.

You're able to snap, but we do ask that we keep talking to a minimum in between.

Also, any disruptions, I will give a warning.

I will then give a second warning, and if it continues, I will then ask one of our officers from APD to escort you out.

So I hope that we can do this in a way that's respectful of everyone.

Also make sure you know that the person who's going after you, they can you can't hear what they're saying if everyone else is speaking.

But we are looking forward to hearing your perspectives and getting your feedback on our budget.

I will since this room is a little tricky.

But here is our podium to my left.

There will be a little timekeeper right in front of you, and then at the end of three minutes, it will go off.

In order to keep us moving along, I apologize in advance, but I will I will stop everyone right at three minutes so that everyone has equal time.

With that, I'm going to call our first um our first speaker.

Well, actually, I think I have to have you say it first.

Public hearing on the city manager's proposed annual operating budget for FY 2027, including schools, the proposed capital improvement program.

CIP for FY2027 to FY2036, including school CIP and the proposed tax rate recommendations.

Okay.

Now I will call our first speaker, Michael Schuster.

Good evening, Mayor Gaskins, City Council members, and Mr.

City Manager James Parajan.

My name is Michael Schuster, and I am co-chair of the Alexandria Commission on Aging.

We support the proposed uh budget provisions maintaining funding for the tax and rental relief programs for older Alexandrians.

We also thank the uh city manager for providing funding for both food hubs and uh paratransit and increasing funding for the Alexandria Fund for uh human services.

Our concerns are less uh about what is in the proposed budget than how the city programs for older Alexandrians will be implemented under the proposed budget.

I want to focus on two programs that are being threatened with reduced participation because of the changes mandated by the federal law known as HR 1.

Although we have confidence as city agencies who work diligently to soften the impact of these new severe requirements, the need to reduce errors, especially in the supplemental nutrition assistance program, SNAP, creates a tension, potentially adversely affecting the city's uh most vulnerable.

Today, over 13 percent of uh Alexandrian's population is over the age of 65, up from 9% in 2010.

Under SNAP, adults must now work or provide community service for 20 hours each week to receive benefits.

Although there are approximately 12,000 individuals in 6,000 households receiving SNAP benefits today.

The this only represents about 40 percent of those eligible for SNAP.

These onerous requirements, as we have seen with similar requirements in Medicaid, will reduce the participation rate even lower for SNAP.

I hope the City Council and its oversight function will ensure that these requirements do not diminish SNAP participation, especially for older Alexandrians.

Similar requirements to take effect for adult Medicaid recipients in the Medicaid expansion program on January 1, 2027.

For example, there are over 400,000 individuals in the Medicaid expansion program, including nearly 50,000 older Virginians, some in Alexandria, adversely impacted by the new onerous work and semi-annual redetermination requirements.

Again, we hope this the city will implement these uh requirements in a manner that facilitates continued participation in Medicaid.

In conclusion, the federal policy changes present risk for older participations, older adult participation in these programs.

For SNAF, the new requirements for 80 hours plus work or volunteerism compared to the monthly benefit allotments, usually about 24 dollars a month, will likely present more strain on the other city uh safety nets, including a live food hubs and other food assistance program.

As the city finalizes its budget, we want to ensure that this precarious situation between SNAP participation and dependency on food assistant locations is taken into account.

Similarly, for Medicaid, we request a similar relationship between at-risk coverage status and health care needs for older adults, combined with the older adult uh comprising a growing percentage of the city's population be accounted for in uh in your in your final budget.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time today.

The next speaker is Catherine Klinger.

Good evening, Mayor Gaskins, members of the City Council and Mr.

Parajon.

My name is Catherine Klinger.

I'm a former teacher at Charles Barrett Elementary School, the parent of an ACHS graduate, and a member of the Children Youth and Families Collaborative Commission.

I'd first like to speak on behalf of the Commission.

The Commission wrote budget letters to both the city council and the school board last fall.

We knew that the budget would be tight, so we limited our recommendations.

Our minimal budget recommendations reflect the Commission's belief that robust out-of-time school programs are critical to the wellbeing of our children's youth, of our city's youth.

First, we strongly support ongoing funding for the middle school athletic program.

We share ACPS athletic director James Parker's enthusiasm for programs that promote physical health, teamwork, and resilience, not to mention graduation.

We urge the city council to provide sufficient funding to allow the ACPS program to grow and expand.

Second, the commission urges the city to provide ACPS with funding necessary for other out-of-school time options like Youth in Progress or YIP.

Yep is a mentoring program at ACHS that supports over 100 at-risk students through tutoring, academic incentives, and family resources.

Yip students spoke movingly to our commission about how this program makes them want to come to school.

Yip is run by the amazing Anna Bonia, an ACPS social worker who was honored as an Alexandria living legend this year.

She will be retiring in June.

What better way to honor Anna's legacy than to fund YIP, the program she started and continues to pour her heart into?

Why not use YIP as a model for out-of-school time programs throughout our city?

Third, we'd like the city to maintain the commitment to out-of-school time programs by continuing its annual $25,000 allocation for the ALX Beyond program locator.

This program locator allows families to search over 90 free out-of-school programs in 11 languages.

The city's support for the locator will allow ALX Beyond to develop partnerships with other localities, pursue private grants and state funding, and ultimately develop a centralized out-of-school network that can benefit every student in the city.

Finally, speaking on my own behalf, please support the ACPS budget increase.

As a former ACPS teacher, I know that my wonderful teacher colleagues were the most important factor in student success and well-being.

To keep them, we must pay them fairly.

And we must fund those things that allow them and their students to thrive, small class size, mental health resources, specialized academic services, out-of-school time options, and books, lots of books.

I've met with many of you, and I know you feel the same.

Please vote in favor of the ACPS budget increase.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time today.

Madam Mayor.

Yes, Councilman Gary.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

So while extremely sympathetic to the comments made, and you know, myself, my family and household, uh, my mother was a teacher.

The fact that we were able to buy a car or buy a house, and that I was able to go to school was thanks to uh her salary and uh being a union member.

And you know, we've been wanting to have collective bargaining for our teachers for several years.

I I think the difference here, um, and you know, of course, people are gonna want to argue one way or the other, is that we are we are allocating the schools money and to the very slide that they provided us uh showing the percent increase that we've been giving them year over year shows the dedication of this body to consistently trying to fund education in our school system because we all realize how important it is.

I think where the break happens is how our counterparts on the school board then decide to spend that money.

Because 100,000 for YIP, $500,000 for the middle school sports program, those are items very easily that the school board could have kept within their budget.

Um while I appreciate the commentary made here, I I think folks need to also remember that there's a burden that is falls upon the school board themselves to make sure that they are utilizing the money in an appropriate fashion as well.

Uh because when you ask for 12.7 million dollars and are coming in over budget when we've asked literally every department in the city to take a 1% cut, and we are giving the majority of the growth that the city is seeing to the schools.

Um it begs the question how are the dollars being spent and allocated on the school board side.

Thank you, Councilman Gary.

All right, next speaker is Natalie Zelaya.

Do we have Natalie?

Yeah.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of City Council.

My name is Natalie Selaya.

I'm a community organizer with Tenants and Workers United.

I've been working directly with tenants, working class families across the city of Alexandria since 2021.

Our organization is here this evening to uplift the voices of our families in this budget process.

While we are hopeful that the city did not cut housing or the Department of Community and Human Services programming, and even propose adding 800,000 for housing supply respectfully, that is not enough.

Every day our staff speaks to families who are rent burdened, families that are working more than one job, and still they are living on the edge of displacement.

This is a serious, there is a serious shortage of deeply affordable housing in Alexandria.

Rents continue to rise while wages for working class families do not keep up.

Parents are choosing between paying rent food medicine or child care.

We recognize we are living in challenging times, but you as our leaders must have both short-term and long-term solutions for those who are barely making it.

That is why we are asking City Council to take action, allocate five million for housing stability to expand the emergency rental assistance program so families can receive two to three months of support and to grow the pilot rental subsidy program for long-term stability.

Protect and strength funding for all the programs that the Department of Community and Human Services have.

Budgets are moral documents.

They show what you truly value.

If you value equity and stability, you almost invest accordingly.

Please look at how the city funds are being used, including fundings for departments or institutions that you don't align with the values of the city.

Reinvest those resources into programs that keep our immigrants and working class families in Alexandria.

We are asking you to match your words with bold action and provide working class families with the stability they need to have a place to call home.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

All right.

Next speaker is Marta Ventura.

And I believe Marta has requested a translation services.

So thank you.

So I am de 15 años and trajo in construction para poder suspending my family.

Muchas families become angustia constant de tener to elegant un techo in nuestro hogar ormida.

Seguir viviendo in la ciudad.

Les pido que inviertan in programma de ayuda con la renta in programma de subsidio de vivienda and invertir in estos programas is invertir in nuestras familias.

Gracias.

My name is Marta.

I have lived in the City of Alexandria for twelve years.

I am a mother of 15-year-old daughter, and I work in construction to support my family.

I am here today because like many working families in the city, we live in a constant worry.

How we will be uh how we will pay the rent to cover our family's basic needs, especially when work slows down and income becomes unstable.

I live in a part in the in apartments owned by Morgan properties.

And you know they're not the best.

Well, our wages do not increase at the same pace.

Many like mine, many many families like mine live with the constant stress of having to choose between keeping the roof over our heads or putting food on a table.

I continue to fight every day to stay in my home.

Not because it's the best is the best place, but because uh I want to give my daughter stability.

I don't want to move constantly and force her to change schools, friends, and community.

We want you to support programs to help families to continue living in the city.

We want uh we want to ask that you invest in rental assistance programs and housing subsidy programs.

Investing in these programs is investing in our families.

Thank you for listening to me.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Mary Ella Raudelas.

Aquí do nuestras vidas, nuestras amistades y nuestro futuro.

Estoy aquí hoy for el prosupuesto que ustedes apprueben.

Determinar si familias trabajadores como la mía would be in Alexandria or no.

Trabajo tiempo completo y gano 1725 per ho.

Después de pagar la renta, casi no queda nada para cobrar otra necessidad.

A veces he tenido que buscar ayuda a iglesias.

No es fácil pedir ayuda cuando uno trabaja duro, pero simplemente no alcanza.

También he tenido sacrificar tiempo con mi hija, incluse celebration importance porque no puedo darme el lujo de ha de quedarme in casa.

Como madre soltera, cada hora cuenta.

El sacrificio is aún mayor.

Formas de 15 años luchando junto a inquilinos anders unidos por la falta de vivienda accesible y por los altos costos de la renta.

Este problema no es nuevo.

Las familias levantando la voz fornea.

Estamos pidiendo stabilidad y vivienda verdaderamente accessible para las familias trabajadoras que sustenta esta ciudad.

Por eso les pedimos que inviertan 5 millions de dollars in el pro program of ayuda de renta, in subsidio de vivienda y in programma de departamento de recursos humanos que apoyan a nuestras familias.

Muchas gracias.

Buenas noches.

Good evening, mayor and members of the council.

My name is Mariela.

I have lived in the city for 22 years.

I'm a single mother and a mother of a 10th grade student at Alexandria High School.

This is where I have built our life, our friendship and our future.

I am here today because the budget you approve will determine, sorry, the term whether working families like mine can continue living in Alexandria or not.

I work full-time and earn 1725 an hour.

I work every day, but even so it often feels like I work only to pay rent.

After paying it, there's almost nothing left to cover or uh our other needs.

Sometimes I have to um I have had to look for help from churches just to be able to pay to stay in my house.

It is not easy to ask for help when you have uh when you work hard, but sometimes it's simply not enough.

I have also had to sacrifice time with my daughter, including important celebrations because I cannot afford to stop working.

As a single mother, every hour counts, and when rent keeps going up, the sacrifice becomes even greater.

For more than 15 years I have been fighting alongside tenants and workers united because of the lack of affordable housing and high cost of rent.

The problem is not new.

Families have been raising our voices for years.

We are not asking for handouts.

We are asking for stability and truly affordable housing for the working families who help keep the city running.

This is why we're asking you to invest five million dollars in rental assistance program, housing subsidies, and uh the programs from the Department of Human Services and uh that support our families.

We want to continue living in Alexandria.

We want our children to graduate graduate here and have a future here.

Your decision should reflect the values and priorities of the city.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Bernice Perez.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council.

My name is Bernice, and I am an eleventh grade student at Alexander City High School.

I have lived in the city my whole life.

I live with my mom and my dad.

My mom is a cancer survivor, but because of side of the side effects from her treatment, she's not able to work anymore.

That means my dad is the only one who has to carry all the financial responsibility for our family.

My dad works repairing shoes in a small shop.

He works more than eight hours every day, and because rent is so expensive, he often has to work even longer hours just so we can keep our home.

Most days I say goodbye to him around seven in the morning and I don't see him again until almost midnight.

As an only child, I wish I could spend more time with my dad, but instead he has to spend that time working just to afford rent.

Sometimes I think about getting a job to help my parents because I know things are hard, but I also know that right now my responsibility is to focus on school and my future.

Families like mine should not have to struggle this much just to stay in their home.

As a student, it's hard for me to understand why the city can spend millions of dollars on the sheriff's office, especially when it is voluntarily collaborating with ICE, but we still don't invest enough in housing to help working families like mine stay in the city.

This is a time for you as our leader to make decisions that truly protect and support our community.

Parents like my dad shouldn't have to work endless hours just to keep a roof over our heads.

Every family deserves stability and every student deserves the chance to focus on the education instead of worrying about losing their homes.

Thank you.

Thank you, Bernice.

Our next speaker is Christopher Cruz.

Hello, mayor and city council.

Hello, mayor and city council.

Um I'm a twelfth grade student at Alexander City High School.

And I'm here to speak on behalf of the working families as well as my as my colleagues.

I have to say that I've also been living in the Morgan properties as well.

And in my hustle, we are uh we are three adults.

Three adults and two children, without counting myself, and I have to admit that life has not been the best.

Uh here during the four years I've been here to work to uh keep working, uh keep working and studying uh and focusing on my future.

And lately I've been finding really sending how I have to reconsider keeping my studies to instead uh go into uh going to uh the working force to provide for my family.

And well, I'm not opposed to it.

to uh keep working uh keep working and studying uh and focusing on my future and lately I've been finding really signing how I have to reconsider keeping my studies to instead of getting into uh go into uh the working force to provide for my family and well I'm not opposed to it I'm surely not the only family the has been affected by the uh lack of subsidies to housing programs and I wish the the city reconsiders reconsiders and actually funds this program because working families are the backbone of this city of the war of this state of this country and I wish things improve for families like mine for families like some of the all help come from too and you just find it great to be speaking here thank you thank you so much for our next speaker is Oliver Moreno good afternoon everyone thank you for being here my name is Oliver I live here in Alexandria and I'm part of the I Side of Alexandria Coalition It's good to see you again as you may remember we were here last month and we're here again Sheriff Sean Casey continues to voluntarily corroborate with ICE without any type of accountability he has ignored the city council's statement again thank you for issuing that statement but it's clear that he's not listening to you he has ignored the residents of our community who clearly do not support ICE do not want anything to do with ICE and certainly don't want our taxpaying dollars to go to a city department that works with ICE.

One of Sheriff Casey's um uh one of the sheriff's uh performance indicators on the last city budget was to quote increase percentage of residents who have a positive overall feeling of safety in Alexandria so as I ask you do you feel do you think that we feel safe when Sheriff Casey works with ICE?

Do you think that our immigrant community feels safe when it works with ICE we need the city council to step up when this season uh budget season is over what story do you want people to take away from this that Alexandria City Council listened to the community that held the sheriff accountable for his collaboration and cut his funding or that Sheriff Casey ignored the city council he will continue to collaborate with ICE and he received the race this is the moment to take action clearly you heard from all the people here today what type of needs they have where you can be investing for the community it's time to put actions to your words.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Brandy Yi do we have airline I can also oh there she is okay Bagley members of the city council and city manager Perrajan good evening my name is Brandy Yee.

I am the chief program officer at Act for Alexandria the city's community foundation.

At ACT we amplify the work of the community by bringing people and resources together.

I would like to start by thanking all of you as well as the city staff for listening to and incorporating feedback from nonprofit partners throughout this budget process.

We are grateful to see so many of these priorities reflected in the FY27 budget including investments that recognize the critical role nonprofits play in supporting Alexandria residents and strengthening economic mobility and well being as the city continues to invest in economic development and growth.

Alexandria is feeling the effects of a changing landscape from layoffs in the federal workforce to rising costs of living at the same time changes in federal policies may mean more residents become ineligible for programs like SNAP or face new work requirements tied to Medicaid.

When that happens the pressure on the local safety net increases.

Alexandria's nonprofits are often the first place neighbors turn when they need help with housing, food, childcare, health care, legal support, or navigating a difficult moment.

They are on the front lines responding to these gaps, which is why maintaining a strong safety net is so important.

We appreciate the city's investment in the nonprofit sector through the Alexandria Fund for Human Services and proposed increase in funding for survival services.

We also encourage continued attention to keeping these investments in line with inflation.

As we shared previously, funding that was 1.9 million dollars several years ago would need to be about 2.7 million dollars to have the same impact.

Ensuring these resources keep pace with rising costs helps equip nonprofits to respond to evolving community needs.

Act is proud to partner with the city and with nonprofits across Alexandria to strengthen this ecosystem of care because we know investing in our city's residents is critical to Alexandria's growth and prosperity.

We are grateful for your trust and investment in ACT, which allows us to mobilize additional philanthropic resources and support nonprofit organizations doing critical work every day in our community.

Thank you for your leadership and continued partnership as we work together to ensure Alexandria is a just, vibrant, and equitable place where all who live and work here feel like they thrive and can belong.

Thank you.

Thank you, Brandy.

Our next speaker is Isabel Schultz.

Good evening, Mayor Gaskins and City Council members.

My name is Isabel Schultz.

I'm a junior at Alexandria City High School.

And for my first remarks, I'm speaking as a youth member on the Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission.

I'd first like to acknowledge that the proposed budget includes the continued funding for middle school athletics, and that is an important addition to this budget and a topic of CYFCC advocacy.

It provides an additional third space for our youth, and I know firsthand the importance of providing safe places for our students to grow, learn, and build community.

One aspect of funding I will continue to push for as a member of the CYFCC is funding for the Youth in Progress Mentoring Program, which currently does not appear as a line item on the budget, but supports over 100 underserved students at ACP ACHS.

Now ultimately, I'm here as myself, an Alexandria resident and ACHS student to urge this council to approve the full 3.5% budget increase for ACPS.

I, along with many other residents and students, I'm sure, recognize this as an essential investment in our school system.

The first reason we need this funding is to support our teachers.

We've all seen the effects of a teacher shortage, and it is of the highest importance that we ensure to retain to retain the hardworking staff we have in ACPS.

I know my teachers, and I know they deserve the best for their hard work.

In raising our budget, we can maintain a parallel with our neighboring school districts.

Schools are the foundation of our local economy and population, and I thank you guys for recognizing that.

Investing in schools produces a high return investment for the entire city.

And we can also avoid harmful budget cuts.

Painful decisions will be made, and students will face a higher burden.

I myself had felt this firsthand.

Let's not allow it to come to this choice.

We already have schools that are overcrowded and programs that we can no longer offer.

Let's not add to the list of problems to fix in the future, but let us fix them now and get a few steps ahead.

We have the resources to protect and strengthen our education.

There's no more responsible decision than to support the 3.5% increase.

And to ACPS, I urge them to invest in the parts of our school system that matter.

I know the advocacy doesn't stop here, but I hope to see my city come through on this on their priorities.

I urge your support.

Thank you.

Thank you, Isabel.

Our next speaker is Kathleen Sindel.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of council, and the city manager.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today regarding the workforce development center and its role in implementing the workforce strategies adopted under ALX Forward.

I am the co-chair of the Alexandria Commission on Employment.

And we have seen the what the workforce development center, WDC does, and how they have been working at capacity over this last several years.

For example, they had 174 workshops in the last year.

The vision of ALX Ford establishes a forward looking strategy for Alexandria Alexandria's economic future.

A central element of that strategy is developing a strong talent pipeline.

The plan calls for expanded internships and apprenticeships, improved career pathway development, increased reskilling, opportunities and deeper collaboration among workforce organizations, educational institutions, and employers.

The underlying idea is straightforward.

Unfortunately, that's not what WDC does.

It is a workforce delivery system.

It is not a cooperative employment development center.

So where are there is a different strategy that comes with the adoption of the initiatives that we are working with.

So understanding this, it is clear to see that WDC does not have the funds aligned for the ALX initiatives.

Even though they are part of what is the essence of the WDC.

They are the central point of the employment ecosystem in Alexandria.

So the choices, ALX Forward expands WDC's role from a high performing workforce service delivery model, to a talent system coordination role.

Aligning employers, education partners, and training providers within Alexandria's broader economic development agency.

Thank you so much for your time, Ms.

Sindel.

And if you're welcome.

If you have extra comments that we were not able to hear, you can pass to the clerk.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Our next speaker is Tiffany Dixon.

Hi, I am joining in V asume.

Can everyone hear me?

Yes.

Okay.

Okay.

As you mentioned, I'm CBC and the proud mother of a brilliant fifth grade student at Last Crouch, where I serve as the DP of operations for RPPA.

In addition to that, I'm also on the board for PTAC serving as an information officer, working behind the scenes to launch a new information empowerment project designed to offer the A CPS parent community timely, transparent briefings about the going-ons of our school board and city council as it relates to meetings and activities that affect our students and families.

I'm here today as a parent advocate to volunt and volunteer to speak on two issues regarding Alexandria City Public Schools.

First, I want to urge City Council to support the 3.5% budget increase requested by ACPS.

This increase is necessary to support the collective bargaining agreement currently being negotiated with our teachers, as well as step increases, cost of living adjustments, and benefits.

These are not luxuries, they are basic tools required to retain experienced, high quality educators.

Right now, the city manager's proposal, as you all know, includes only a 1.5% increase, which simply does not cover both step increases and pay adjustments comparable to those other cities to those other city employees are receiving.

If we want to retain great teachers, we have to pay them competitively.

Otherwise, we will continue to lose experienced educators to neighboring districts that offer better compensation.

Now my second point is about community engagement.

There's been a lot of concern raised recently about issues about decisions related to school changes and engagement with families.

But what I want to emphasize is that community participation has to happen throughout the process, not only after a decision is made.

Between May and November of last year, there were several or multiple engagement opportunities, whether that be meetings, surveys, and outreach efforts, asking parents and advocates to participate in the discussion and let City Council Institute and the school board know exactly what your desires are.

As parent advocates, we are we all share the same goal, the success of our children.

This moment should not feel like a what feels to me like a civil conflict within our community.

Our children attend these schools together, and we are all working toward the same outcome, strong schools and a strong feature for them.

So I encourage us to remember that we are one community.

And when I say us, I'm mainly speaking to our parent advocates.

So I want to encourage us to remember that we are one community on the same team, and that meaningful engagement means showing up, not only in moments of disagreement, like after a decision is made, but throughout the entire process.

Thank you all for your time.

Thank you for your time, Ms.

Dixon.

Our next speaker is Jonathan Kroll.

Thank you.

Mayor Gaskins, Vice Mayor Bagley, members of City Council.

I am Jonathan Kral.

I am a member of Grassroots Alexandria.

I have three related budget requests concerning housing, policing, and health.

These are requests that we share with our friends and tenants and workers united, who are here in force, as you can see, and African communities together.

Separately, somebody else in Grassroots Alexandria has written to you about our transportation equity input, which has to do with sustained funding for Dash Line 32.

Okay, so here's what I'm going to focus on.

Here in the USA, we incarcerate, we spend crazy amounts of money to incarcerate people at five times the world average.

Extreme levels of policing are performative, not effective.

Locally, we incarcerate people at twice the rate of nearby Arlington per capita, spending 20 million in local dollars on the jail.

We cannot afford this wasteful spending.

We ask that you work with the Commonwealth attorney to reduce incarceration in favor of other alternatives.

We believe that four million out of the 36 million sheriff's budget office sheriff's budget could be saved.

Police and schools are similarly performative.

Supposedly, police and schools act as teachers and counselors.

They're neither.

They're police.

In the current budget environment, we should not spend nearly one million dollars on wasteful security theater.

We ask that you eliminate this program saving about a million.

Now, working with Tenants and Workers United, we in grassroots have reached out to ACPS to talk to ask that student mental health resources are available upon demand.

We believe this is possible within the present ACPS budget.

So what we're saying is that we can both save money and have safer schools.

We ask that the $5 million in savings that we have identified be applied to our very successful rent subsidy pilot, which provides working class affordable housing at low cost, and to the emergency rental assistance program, which reduces evictions.

I hear that we have a budget crisis.

But we also have a legitimacy crisis.

In the DC area, federal law enforcement, including ICE, are seemingly everywhere.

People are frightened, but like in Minneapolis, people are also getting out on the street, they are patrolling, they are looking out for, they're looking for ice, they're looking out for their neighbors.

Alexandrians increasingly see that over policing is not new.

It is a very expensive, bad habit.

Let us instead invest our tax dollars to support workers and strengthen our economy.

We thank you for your time and attention.

Thank you, Mr.

Kral.

Our next speaker is Sammy Moschenberg.

Good evening.

My name is Sammy Moschenberg, and I'm a 40-plus-year resident of Del Rey and a member of ICE Out of Alexandria.

Budgets necessarily involve choices, what to fund and what to cut.

Whether consciously or not, those choices reflect the values and aspirations of a community.

In short, a budget is a moral document.

Usually this reminder is given when decision makers consider whether to cut social services and other programs that directly serve individuals and families in need.

But I'm here today to talk about the moral implications of funding a program.

I am here to urge you to cut the Alexandria Sheriff's budget until Sheriff Casey ends his voluntary collaboration with ICE.

Alexandria city leaders have strongly reiterated time and time again that they welcome immigrants and value their contributions.

And yet the sheriff is using our tax dollars to collaborate with ICE, including, by the way, paying for a personal attorney who's vetting and rejecting FOIA requests.

He is an outlier among regional sheriffs, choosing to funnel people into inhumane ICE detention rather than allowing them due process through the legal system.

Transferring people to ICE not only breaks up families, but endangers lives.

Last year was ICE's deadliest year in two decades.

Thirty-two people died in ICE custody, many as a result of neglect and abuse.

The City Council unanimously called on the sheriff to end his voluntary collaboration with ICE, which has not happened.

Now is time to use your oversight and budgetary power to hold him accountable.

Now is the time to stand up for the city's values and make it clear that scarce city funds, taxpayer money will not subsidize an unfair, immoral policy that separates families, denies due process, and subjects Alexandrians who will likely never get the opportunity to defend their innocence to the dangerous, inhumane conditions of ICE detention.

Please stand up for what is right and decrease the sheriff's budget.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sammy.

Our next speaker is Alison Walter.

Good evening, Mayor Gaskins and members of the Alexandria City Council.

Thank you for allowing us this opportunity to address you tonight with my concerns about the city's budget.

My name is Alison Walter.

I'm a parent of a kindergartner at John Adams Elementary, and I've been teaching at Francis Hammond Middle School for the past 13 years.

I voluntarily spend my time with 12 and 13-year-olds.

I teach middle school students who come to me not knowing the alphabet how to read.

And I'm here to ask you to stop asking me to work miracles without wraparound support services.

I hear the concerns about how our school board is spending their budget.

I would also like to share a few numbers with you tonight that might help explain why things have gotten so expensive and why we are asking you for a 3.5% increase.

And for the record, I'm talking for myself and not representing anybody from the schools.

I know that some members of this council have had serious concerns about whether or not they are getting a return on their investment with our schools.

I'm here to tell you tonight that the Virginia SOL test scores will never show significant increase when we work with a transient population who is not spending the majority of the their time in our school district, when the number of English learners in our district has increased from one-third to nearly half in the past four years.

Those are my kids.

Those are my students.

You heard from a lot of them tonight.

I want you to focus on the wraparound services that we are helping you supply instead.

And when we are asking for these increases in funding, most of that money is supposed to be going to social workers, school psychologists, our communities and schools contract middle school sports.

Those are hours of supervised time that students are spending in a school building with adults and not out on the streets causing problems for businesses in our community, because again, 13-year-olds make bad choices sometimes.

I do not know the number of fights and police calls that have been prevented through the different support services and conflict resolution options that we have at school.

I know that students are benefiting from accessing the food and clothing and community resources in our community center through our communities and schools liaison.

I would urge you to please continue to look for ways, increase my tax burden.

I'm a homeowner.

I'll pay more.

Please keep looking for ways to include an increase in funding in Alexandria City's public schools budget.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time today.

And our next speaker is Daniel DePonte.

Good evening, Mayor Gaskins and members of the Council.

I'm Daniel LePonte.

I'm a member of the Children's Youth and Family Collaborative Commission here in the city.

And I'm here to uplift some priorities we've identified and that the Commission needs your help with to ensure the well-being of young people in Alexandria.

Our commission focuses heavily on out-of-school time, looking for ways to increase equitable access to programs through partnerships as well as advocating for programs that are really doing the work in the community.

Alexandria's own youth needs assessment highlights the urgent need for additional resources for out-of-school time programs.

Young people in Alexandria are increasingly disconnected from their school, community, and each other.

And this is something happening across the country.

But here in Alexandria, we have the opportunity to do something about it by investing in out-of-school time programs.

First, as a commission, we've heard from ACPS athletic director, James Parker, and we strongly support funding for the Middle School Athletics Program.

Expanding the capacity of these programs allows more kids to reap the benefits of these programs.

I know that parents and teachers are looking for a magic way to get kids off the phones and to engage in the real world, and athletics programs are one way to do that.

And I've personally benefited from the discipline and teamwork skills that I learned playing sports as a kid, and I want every kid in Alexandria to have those same opportunities.

This is a mentoring program at ACHS serving around 120 opportunity youth who need extra support like tutoring or family engagement.

The program is run uh by an ACPS social worker, uh, Mrs.

Anna Bonia, who was honored as an Alexandria living legend this year.

Uh Mrs.

Bonia is retiring this year, and we at the CYFCC don't want her work to fall through the cracks because of funding shortfalls or staffing uh shortfalls.

Um it's really, you know, more than investments in Chromebooks or smart boards, it's programs like YIP that makes impactful for kids and sets young people up for success after they graduate.

Um there is, of course, an economic rationale to investing in out-of-school time programs, but really this is about investing in kids who are often written off as at risk.

Um it shows them that school can be a safe and fulfilling place, and academic success can be transformative in their lives.

I really urge, I strongly urge the city council to recommend a specific appropriation for Yip as you work to reconcile this budget.

I understand it's a very challenging fiscal year for you.

Um, and in addition to the many important priorities expressed here tonight.

I hope that investments in our youth get the consideration that they deserve.

Thank you very much for your work on this.

Thank you so much for your time.

Um before I call the next speaker, just a few things.

It is a little there's like an echo in the room, so it is a little challenging us for us to hear.

So if we can keep side conversations to a minimum, um, that would be great.

To my colleagues, we have to have four folks at all times, so I'll just nobody else can leave.

Um and then I'm not sure what's going on with the temperature.

So if maybe staff can look into that, it's going from very cold to really hot to very cold.

Um if there's any any way that we can uh address that, that would be great.

Our next speaker is Dane Lordson.

Okay.

Dane, we are ready whenever you are.

Hi, can you hear me?

Yes, we can.

All right.

Good afternoon, honorable council members.

I am here to support affordable housing and public transit, and I ask that the city do so by moving money from the sheriff's office to support these critical community needs.

Our budget in tight times reflects our priorities, and we desperately need to support struggling communities as they work to maintain housing and transportation in tough economic times.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Casey continues to voluntarily support and collaborate with ICE.

His actions undermine public safety, community trust, and facilitate lawlessness by ICE agents against our immigrant neighbors.

I urge the city to support our neighbors and reallocate funding from the sheriff's office to support the housing and public transit needs in our community.

In a tight budget environment, we can choose to invest in our community needs rather than in an office that is ignoring community input and is tacitly collaborating with and perpetuating violence against our community.

Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.

Thank you so much for your time today.

Our next speaker is David Ballinger.

Good evening, um Mayor Gaskins and Council members.

Uh my name's David Ballinger.

I've been an Alexandria resident for about 20 years.

This is my first time doing a public comment in any forum like this.

I'm here to advocate for cutting the sheriff's office budget if it continues its collaboration with ICE above that required by law, which is very pithily expressed in the signs here.

It's radical in its disregard of the law and courts, and it's radical in the in its practice of constant pervasive, blatant lying to all of us about what they're doing.

You've heard already from many, many people about the impact of this radicalism, the catalog of hostility and abuse that is terrifying, Alexandria immigrants who benefit our community, who benefit our civic culture, and of course, our economy.

As a taxpayer and citizen of Alexandria, I join many others pleading that our city have absolutely no collaboration, or that the sheriff has absolutely no collaboration in the operations of ICE that is not clearly required in the law.

The sheriff is acting in voluntary collusion with ICE by helping transfer those in custody on the basis of administrative warrants that aren't signed by a judge that aren't judicial warrants.

While the sheriff's office is independent, my understanding is the majority of its budget is supported by Alexandria taxpayers.

And we definitely appreciate the public statements of the mayor and the council against this collaboration, but I ask that the mayor and council do more than just tell us that you agree with us.

I ask the council to use this budget process and its rightful role of oversight to put pressure on the sheriff to end this voluntary practice of abetting ice.

It is actually making our community less safe.

I add my voice here for the sake of common sense, common decency, and an immigrant community that doesn't deserve the cruel and destructive attacks on it by the federal government, and ones that our sheriffs should not volunteer to abet.

Thank you so much for your time today.

And perfect timing your first time.

Our next speaker is Larissa Zare.

Thank you, Mayor Gaskins.

Thank you, members of City Council.

My name is Louisa Zare.

I'm a housing attorney for Legal Aid Justice Center.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Over this last year, as we've heard from many people tonight, federal law enforcement has targeted Alexandria's immigrant communities for arrests, deportation, and family separation.

It's accelerated at rates higher than almost anywhere in the U.S.

We've also seen the federal government slash public benefits programs in ways that will take food and health insurance away for millions of low-income people.

We already know that people will sacrifice other essential needs like food and health care to pay the rent.

Those cuts mean that black, indigenous, Asian, and Latina Alexandrians have even less income to stretch.

We recognize City Council's significant efforts over this year to respond to this harm.

And I want to share a little bit of what that looks like on my end.

It means I'm an eviction defense attorney, which means that I'm hearing from everyone I work with that they're terrified to leave their homes to work because they could be detained.

And that also means I'm hearing from parents who are panicking after their spouse was deported.

And they have to cope with that trauma and still try to come up with the rent so they can stay housed and keep their kids housed.

We know that stable and secure housing is essential to every Alexandrian's well-being, no matter their race, where they came from, or how long that they've lived in the city.

We signed on to a joint letter urging city council to prioritize housing justice and help Alexandria's immigrant families and communities of color weather this moment in three ways.

Strengthening emergency supports, enforcing tenant protections, and expanding deeply affordable housing.

All three of these are critical.

I'll just focus my comments a little more on emergency supports specifically.

We would advocate for the city council to allocate additional budget resources to reach families before they're in eviction court and provide multiple months of assistance.

We deeply appreciate Alexandria's DCHS for their work over many years to provide essential emergency support.

And we would advocate for this in addition to the services they're currently providing.

But often currently, most families receive this support when they're already in eviction court and after they have a judgment against them.

Reaching people before court will have a greater impact.

Almost everyone I talk to as well from the immigrant community are terrified of going to court and also can't really miss work in order to do that.

Like they miss several hundred dollars worth of work in order to attend court.

Pre-court support is also a more efficient use of city funds.

I can estimate that each case accrues between 400 and 800 dollars of additional legal fees, late fees, and court costs by the time they have a judgment.

And so city funding is currently going to that in addition to paying the rent for each case.

And this will make it less likely for families to be permanently harmed by eviction court.

Um families who are facing a momentary crisis can get back on their feet if they have multiple months of support, and reaching families before they have a judgment on their record will prevent harm to their future housing options.

I was just answering a text from a colleague earlier about how someone can get a case expunged if they got a judgment against them, and you can't if you have a judgment against it.

That's on your permanent record for the rest of your life in Virginia.

Um we'd also just urge expansion of the pilot rental subsidy program as we listed in the letter.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much for your time today.

Our next speaker is Reverend Um Jasmine Wise.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor Gaskins and members of the City Council.

My name is Reverend J.

Cena Wise, and I am an AME minister, a student at Virginia Theological Seminary, and a proud voice leader organizing with faith communities across Alexandria.

Scripture teaches us that the test of a society is how it treats the most vulnerable.

In the book of Isaiah, we're told to loose the chains of injustice and share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house.

Housing is not just a policy issue.

It is a moral issue.

Voice leaders are asking the city to address Alexandria's housing crisis through what we call the three S's.

Supply, subsidy, and stability.

That means increasing the overall supply of homes so working families actually have options.

Increasing public investment and subsidy so affordable homes can be built and preserved, and ensuring tenant stability.

So people who have already people who are already here are not pushed out and that they are not made homeless.

We know Alexandria has real constraints, but we also know this city operates with nearly a one billion dollar budget.

That means that the housing crisis we see around us is ultimately a matter of priorities.

Now I understand the city may believe that tourism marketing, festivals, or renovating city hall are important investments, and I'm sure that they are meaningful to many people.

But none of these things come close to the importance of keeping a family housed.

None of them compare to the stress of a parent working two jobs and still wondering whether the rent will clear next month.

None of them compare to the dignity of a child who deserves to grow up in a stable home.

So when difficult decisions are made about where to spend or where to cut, we urge you.

Remember that budgets are moral documents.

Voices asking this council, maintain strong investments in tenant protections and housing stability programs, including rental assistance and social services.

Continue advancing policies that increase housing supply and prioritize local funding that unlocks affordable housing projects that are already approved but waiting for resources through a bond measure.

Our faith teaches us that justice requires courage.

Tonight we asked you, be bold and to place the dignity of human life at the center of this budget.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time this evening.

Our next speaker is Melissa Kuhnen.

Unfortunate placement, I'm afraid, but I'm Melissa Kennan.

I'm a 15-year resident of Alexandria.

And what I'd like to talk about pales in comparison to this, the subjects that have come up tonight, but it does affect thousands of residents, nevertheless.

For projects that have been approved and ones that are in the pipeline.

There are dozens and dozens and dozens of them coming up.

My concern is that we have an issue with uh department staffing.

I understand from the budget review that there are 45 existing positions that it won't be funded, won't be filled.

And but where does that leave the city departments in managing their current programs, rules, and regulations?

For one, the Department of Code Administration appears to be woefully understaffed, with only a few positions responsible for identifying and finding code and zoning violations citywide.

The city's focus on creating a simpler process to permit developers to build one and two bedroom luxury housing units as quickly as possible, is having an increasingly negative effect on residential life and the neighborhoods where they're constructed.

Contractors have agreements with code administration to park off-site.

But wherever there's a construction project in the city, there are daily violations by every subcontract, delivery truck, and lunch truck.

These vehicles park in areas that may or may not have limits for street parking, but they are full all day long.

We have um we've had in Old Town North, for example, we have had um numerous 311 calls.

We've called residents have called the police department, and we've had discussions with Mr.

Tony Lacalla.

Problem has not been in resolved, even with one contractor being issued to fine.

Right now we have two large construction projects in our neighborhood.

We have a mixed-use neighborhood with multiple small businesses and restaurants that are affected by this uh parking lack of street parking.

Um's the problem.

The Minister of Lacalla identified for us.

There's very limited code enforcement staff to see to oversee developer compliance with agreements they've already made with the city.

And there are insufficient parking enforcement personnel who have commitments all across the city.

We highly encourage we as the Royal We as a resident highly encourage City Council to commit to increasing the staff for code and zoning enforcement, not just for parking, but it starts all the way out with uh with um project uh uh plan review and permitting all the way through all the site inspections.

We we encourage you to increase staff so that all these local businesses are not so severely affected, so residents can find parking to do their errands, and so all the neighborhoods who are and will be affected by the several dozen construction projects already permitted are protected from violations.

Thank you for your time today.

Our next speaker is Max Carpenter.

My name is Max Carpenter, and I am a senior at Alexandria City High School.

As a student, I am reminded every day of the wonderful diversity that my school endeavors to foster in nowhere is just diversity more present than in our very own international academy, which is dedicated to empowering the hundreds of English English language learners at our school.

The reason why I bring this up is because nearly all of these students are at risk of being targeted by ice thugs, the same federally sponsored terrorists that Sheriff Casey continues to voluntarily cooperate with.

Sheriff Casey refuses to stop his voluntarily voluntary collaboration with ICE, despite the overwhelming insistence from the community that he does.

But why should he?

After all, he got a comfortable 35.9 million dollars last year in funding.

This complete lack of accountability fueled by access to large sums of money in the budget is extremely detrimental to at risk residents and must be corrected to the fullest extent possible.

After all, what would happen if the sheriff provided assistance to ICE in any way as he has demonstrated that he is more than willing to do, in resulting in a student or young person being disappeared by ICE.

As a student young person myself, I cannot let the risk of this happening continue to stand, and neither should City Council.

The demand is that Alexandria City Council cut Sheriff Casey's budget significantly and allot it to places where it's actually needed, such as housing, and I applaud those who have turned out today in support of that cause in allotting it to education as well.

As I said at the beginning of this speech, I'm a student at Alexandria City High School.

There are nearly 5,000 other students that attend with me, some of whom are here today, and it is wonderful to see them.

But it is unconscious unconscionable to me that any one of their rights to education could be threatened by the actions of a rogue sheriff committed to collaborating with voluntarily cooperating with ICE, or that their education could be threatened by being compelled to put work over their studies, as so many here have mentioned today.

So will you let the students of ACHS be governed by terror or by a city council that is accountable to the people?

I ask that the city council be courageous enough to take the stand that even a high schooler is willing to take.

Mind you, that hundreds of other students took when they walked out of class last month in protest of ICE, rather than ignoring the voices of the community while immigrants and Alexandrians are being put in immediate danger.

The choice is quite literally between helping working families or encouraging the sheriff's cooperation with ICE.

The choice is yours, and it should not be a hard one.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time today, Max.

Our next speaker is David Paladin Fernandez.

Good evening.

I am David Paladin Fernandez, and I teach science over at Jefferson Houston Middle School, and I am a member of the Education Association of Alexandria.

I am here because, like many of you on this council, I am concerned about the future of our schools and the welfare of my fellow educators.

The school board, city council, and EAA say that educators are their top priority, yet the current budget proposals tell a different story.

When the school board and EAA propose cutting staff and raising health care, it sends a clear message that educators are expected to bear the brunt of every fiscal hardship.

However, that is only half the problem.

The other half is a failure of communication.

It is a breakdown in our city's processes when the mayor and this council learn about collective bargaining updates via a press release at the same time as rank and file union members.

Collective bargaining should be a transparent, vigorous fight for the welfare of our educators, and instead, our current union leadership has left both its members and our city partners in the dark.

Alexandria cannot remain competitive if our compensation lags behind neighboring districts and union representation fails to communicate.

We are just not asking for funding.

We are demanding for accountability and advocacy.

I asked this council to stand with us in ensuring that no more roles are cut.

We have the resources to reinvest in the people who make this system work, and let's ensure the compensation reflects the value educators provide to this city.

And let's demand a seat at the table where information is shared openly and not managed through headlines.

Thank you for your time today.

Our next speaker is Tyrone Barnes.

We'll give a second just in case they're in the overflow room.

Okay, then we're gonna move forward.

Um our next speaker is Howard Vanderloosis.

Van der Luce.

Good evening, Mayor Gaskin, Vice Mayor Bagley, and members of the City Council.

My name is Howard Vandersleus, and I teach orchestra at Jefferson Houston, where I've been for a quarter of a century.

Um I'm here tonight as a teacher and as a potential candidate for treasurer of the education association of Alexandria.

I'm stepping up for this role because I've been I've seen the numbers and the math simply doesn't add up for Alexander's educators.

We are told that we are a top priority, yet we have watched neighboring districts consistently raise wages while our own staff have missed critical step increases.

We are currently on a trajectory to lose our best talent to districts that offer higher pay and a lower cost of living.

This isn't just a budget or retention issue.

This is a failure in transparency.

As a potential treasurer candidate, I'm deeply concerned that the current union leadership has failed to keep either its members or the city council informed.

When the mayor of our city has to learn about collective bargaining updates from outside re outside sources rather than through direct professional advocacy from our union, it proves that the current system is badly broken.

If we want Alexander to remain a competitive remain competitive, we need a union leadership that actually fights for its members and communicates honestly with the city.

We cannot expect to fund a vision.

We cannot expect you to fund a vision that hasn't been clearly articulated to us or to you.

I'm asking city this council to prioritize the educators who keep our schools running.

But more importantly, I'm asking you to stand with us as we advocate for a voice in the discussion.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for your time today, Howard.

Our next speaker is uh Tanawa Dowling.

She online.

Oh, I'm I'm so sorry.

No problem.

Good evening.

My name is uh Tanawa Downing.

I'm a civil rights advocate and litigator out of Washington, D.C.

Um.

If this budget is going to be used to facilitate the abridgement of a constitutional obligation, then I feel it's very important that we bring this to your attention so we make sure that that doesn't happen, because there's nothing more destructive to our union than paying people to violate the Constitution of the United States of America.

So please let me explain.

The Constitution of the United States of America is the overarching requirements that every state must follow.

I trust that we all understand that.

States cannot enact their own alternative legislation, substitute that for the guarantees of the Constitution, and go out and force it as though it's constitutional.

Clause one of Amendment Bible to the United States Constitution.

What it says, it says that no person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime unless on presentment or indictment of a grand jury.

However, the state of Virginia here has enacted its own alternative legislation that permits prosecuting attorneys and police officers to charge by information, not indictment.

That is unconstitutional.

Now, an emolument violation is when you pay someone to violate the Constitution.

Can't do that, especially when you receive federal planting.

You cannot pay someone to violate better law when you receive federal planting.

There's two areas of the Constitution that reinforces this.

The first is Article 1, Section 10, that's where it says that no state shall create any law that shall impair the obligation of contracts.

Police officers, prosecutors, judges, they're all under contract.

That's a contract to perform based upon the oath or acclamation they took to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

So when the state of Virginia creates a law that directs them to disobey the Constitution, that's obviously a violation of Article 1, Section 10.

The second place is the 14th Amendment.

That's where it says no state shall create or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges and meetings of the United States citizens.

The privileges and immunities of United States citizens are at a minimum what is enumerated within the Bill of Rights.

This is affirmed by the United States Supreme Court 2019, unanimous decision.

Tim Durst, Indiana, they cannot be impaired.

And thus the state of Virginia here has enacted a law and is directing their agents, whom unfortunately you all pay in this budget to violate the Constitution of United States of America.

As a result, there's currently an inordinate amount of people currently in prison here in the state of Virginia illegally and unconstitutionally.

So I'm prepared to litigate this United States Supreme Court on behalf of the more than 700,000 people are currently in prison here in America illegally and unconstitutionally because the states have failed to follow the very basic procedures and processes codified in the Constitution for the adjudication of crimes.

I'm here today to let you guys know that if you continue to pay these people that criminal sanctions can come from that.

We don't want to head down that path, right?

Uh we want to work together to fix this problem, but I must make sure that you guys are aware that paying people to violate the Constitution of the United States of America is an emolument violation.

It is illegal and it is a crime.

So I'm asking you, honorable individuals, tonight to please take a look at clause one of Amendment 5, confirm what I'm saying to be true, and then recruit agents to act in a lawful constitutional manner that is consistent with the obligations that they have codified in the Constitution for the United States of America.

This issue is extremely closely related to the immigration issue.

I don't have time to be able to speak on that, but I'm certainly going to go out in the hallway and explain to these people how uh how they can use this uh in their in their future discussions.

I have a notice here that I need to put on the record.

I would recommend that you guys review this notice.

Failure to review it does not implicate it does not remove your uh culpability within this matter once provided notice on the record, such as tonight.

Who should I give this to, Mayor?

You can hand it right over here and it will go to our clerk and shall be able to do that.

God bless you guys.

Thank you for your time today.

Our next speaker is Melissa Elbert.

Hi.

Um so we've all seen the horrific videos of violent ice abductions of their terror and their executions.

Imagine how much worse things get when there are no residents to witness and film their crimes.

There are no videos from inside the cars that drive those abducted community members away.

We had no video of them abandoning Nurul Amin Shalla Alam, a disabled and disoriented man in Buffalo, New York, winter, leaving him to die on the street like a stray dog.

No videos in the centers where survivors recount worms in the food, sexual assault, medical neglect.

2025 was the deadliest year to be in ice detention in two decades.

2026 is off to a horrifying start.

A 45-year-old Ethiopian man died in ICE custody this year from a preventable HIV-related death.

Chowfenga was found dead in a hogtie position, supposedly having taken his own life.

Emmanuel Damas died of an untreated toothache.

The autopsy of Geraldo Lunas Campos shows he was murdered, asphyxiated to death, but the authorities are claiming he was violent and tried to take his own life.

Luis Beltran Yanes Cruz died of a heart-related issues.

His family said he had felt ill for weeks, but was only given aspirin.

I could go on.

I saw a new newsweek article from today that says three people in four days have died in ICE detention.

And yet, Sheriff John Casey continues to hand people in his custody over to this deadly agency.

Are we okay with this?

Are we saying sorry if you end up in Alexandria jail, you might be sentenced to a slow and painful or possibly violent death?

Are we okay with funding this medieval nightmare?

Last week, Christy Gnome herself explained that the federal government is able to circumvent sanctuary policies by partnering with sheriffs.

That's a quote.

She also said, and I quote, we find lots of progress working with sheriffs.

We already know that Casey is voluntarily electing to collaborate with ICE.

He told us himself.

His policy is not a fluke.

He's a critical component in the US wide deportation machine.

Cutting off the sheriff's budget is your moral duty, and you will have our support when you do it.

The federal government is not going to stop.

As the most vulnerable community members are being subjected to state violence and torn apart from their families, this shouldn't even matter.

But do keep in mind when we normalize this violence against our immigrant community members, against people transferred from jail.

We bring ourselves closer to the same fate.

A number of us in this room, because of our race, our background, or our political activism could be next.

Please do the right thing.

Thank you for your time this evening.

Our next speaker is Catherine Shulman.

This morning, someone else near my job was kidnapped by ICE.

My friends are too scared to leave their homes because of ISIS terrorism.

Like they are all completely legal, but they're immigrants or Hispanic.

And yeah, it's beyond time to cut Sheriff Casey's budget.

It's ridiculous that he's volunteering to work with a terrorist organization.

There's no other way to call it, but it's it's your terrorism.

You have people basically living underground.

People aren't criminals.

And he doesn't have to do this, but he does anyway.

And what I think is most ridiculous is that he's using his budget to keep get keep a lawyer so he can get out of trouble for what he's doing.

And then he won't respond to the FOIA requests.

Like that's a bad sign.

We really, really need more money for our schools.

It's so bad.

We have we don't have enough employees to keep the students from running away and skipping all day.

And then I'm worried that they're gonna be picked up by ice and the cycle continues.

We the housing is horrible.

Like we it's so bad.

And I do appreciate the statements against Sheriff Casey.

But those are hypocritical empty words, unless you do something to actually rein him in, something to corral him.

Anything pressure, cutting his funding to do this stuff.

Thank you for listening, because we're really begging here in the city.

Thank you for your testimony.

Our next speaker is Hannah Matuda.

Okay.

Hannah, we are ready whenever you are.

Thank you so much.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of the city council.

My name is Hannah Matita, and I'm speaking on behalf of the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance.

Thank you again for this opportunity.

First, I would like to acknowledge the city's ongoing commitment to addressing housing affordability.

Over the past year, Alexandra has continued to make important progress through long-term planning and productive collaboration with the community.

The Housing 2040 plan has established a clear framework for creating and preserving affordable homes for years to come, and that leadership matters.

At the same time, the needs for affordable housing remain significant.

Nearly half of the renter households in Alexandria are cost burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing, and you've heard from many of them tonight.

There are far too few housing options available for people earning less than 30% of the AMI.

And to make matters worse, approximately 900 committed affordable units will cease to be affordable between 2026 and 2040 as affordability commitments expire.

That is why the question before us tonight is not whether Alexandria values affordable housing.

The question is whether the city is investing at the scale needed to move the housing projects forward in the pipeline and protect existing affordability.

I commend the city's policies and investments, which has helped create a strong pipeline of affordable housing developments.

But while this year's 11.6 million investment is meaningful, it is not enough on its own to meet the need and to unlock the projects already in the pipeline.

For Alexandria to meet how its housing goals, the city must pair continued funding with stronger tools.

Continued use of bonding authority can help close financing gaps and move projects forward.

We also encourage continued exploration of strategies such as tax abatements, development fee relief beyond ARHA properties, and leveraging city-owned land, which can reduce development costs and make public investments go further.

Support supporting acquisition and preservation efforts can protect existing affordability before it is lost.

And finally, while long-term development is critical, we must also recognize the immediate needs of residents currently struggling with housing costs.

Programs such as emergency rental assistance and pilot rental subsidy program provide critical support for households face instability.

Alexandria has made real progress and has a clear path forward, but progress alone will not be enough.

The city must match its vision with the level of investment and the full range of tools needed to unlock projects, preserve affordability, so that more residents can remain in the community that they call home.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you for your testimony today.

Our next speaker is Karen Daly.

I think everyone is out of the overflow room.

So I'm going to keep moving forward, and if she comes, we'll just come back.

Good evening, uh Mayor Gaskins and City Council and Mr.

Pearjan.

I'm a 35-year-plus resident of Alexandria, but tonight I'm speaking as a small business owner.

I'm asking that the city review how the business tax license division establishes the rate and tax calculation, specifically for sole proprietors working in the professional service category.

I'm a physical therapist who specializes in job-based consultations, specifically ergonomics and wellness fitness services, and have been a sole proprietor in the city since 2002.

My business is certified in Virginia as a small micro women-owned business.

I'm responsible for my continuing education costs, malpractice insurance, state licensing fees, certification fees, state corporation fees, health and dental insurance through the exchange, and the full FICA taxes.

Since COVID, my business is gradually building back.

Um, for business uh license tax since my gross income was below 100,000.

In 2026, I made just about 8,000 above the 100,000 limit, and it jumped up to $626, basically over 100% more.

Even though my gross income may be 100 100,000 over 100,000, my draft gross is like 73,000.

So the expenses to the business are significant.

After I received a very thorough response from uh Miss Collat, the business tax auditor, um, basically justifying Alexandria's business tax rate for professional services, which is at 58 cents for 100,000 of uh 100 of gross proceeds.

I really wondered what our neighboring jurisdictions tax rates were.

What I found was that Fairfax would bill my business 31 cents while Arlington would bill it 36 cents for each 100 of gross receipts.

I was told that the city is a small business, it's small business friendly, though a professional business license rate of 58 cents is significantly above our neighbors' rates for that same business category.

If I lived in either of those other jurisdictions, I'd pay between about 340 or 380 this year.

The median income in the city for 2024 was about 119,000.

As a private citizen who chose to be self-employed, I continue to try to keep pace with the cost of living within the city as well as the region.

Business tax calculations like this and at such a discrepant rate with our neighboring authorities are of significant concern.

I do request the city thoroughly review how it taxes businesses, especially categorized as professional services and self-employed.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your time this evening.

Oh, we have two more.

No, I only have one now.

There's two more.

Oh, okay.

Uh Miss Deborah Porris is next.

Good evening, Mayor and members of City Council.

My name is Reverend Dr.

Deborah Poras.

I am the pastor at Beverly Hills Community United Methodist Church.

I'm also one of the clergy strategy co-chairs with Voice, and I'm also here standing on behalf of Tenants and Workers United.

First, I would like to thank you all for supporting the faith in housing legislation at the state level, which uh, if passed and will um be implemented, would help ensure that our congregations throughout the state are able to uh more easily build affordable housing on our properties, and so that will make a huge difference.

And uh thank you for listening to community feedback.

Um, we're always here helping to uh support different things, and we love that you guys are always opening up and uh listening and and asking for feedback from the community, and so we thank you for that, and particularly for the housing master plan.

In our organizing, we often talk about the three S's, which I think you've heard already this evening, uh for housing policy supply, subsidy, and stability.

We need more housing supply in Alexandria so that it does not become a city where only the wealthiest can afford to live here, and we need stronger public investment so that affordable homes are actually built.

Right now, Alexandria has over 50 million dollars in approved affordable housing projects waiting for local funding, and these homes that have been planned, vetted, and approved, but they cannot move forward without the local funding gap.

And so when these projects stall, families have to wait, construction costs rise, and the opportunities are lost.

At the same time, many families that are already living here and barely making ends meet, hanging on by a thread, find that even one missed paycheck or unexpected expense can put them at risk of eviction.

That is why voice stands alongside Tenants and Workers United and the Legal Aid Justice Center and asking the city to maintain and expand emergency rental assistance, expand the rental subsidy pilot program, and sustain strong funding for the Department of Community and Human Services programs that keep families housed.

But tonight I want to end where the city has the greatest opportunity to act, and that is unlocking the affordable housing pipeline.

Alexander has the projects ready, and what is needed now is the local investment to move them forward.

So our question tonight is simple.

Will the city issue an affordable housing bond this year to unlock the affordable housing pipeline?

And if that's not possible immediately, will you make a clear and public commitment to issue a housing bond as soon as the city has the available debt capacity to do so?

Because the homes are all ready to be built, the need is urgent, and families in Alexandria cannot afford to keep waiting until homes are for all is ready.

We need this funding now, and we need the city to act.

Thank you.

Thank you, Reverend Porriss.

Our next speaker uh is Carlisia Cobbins.

Good evening, Mayor Gaskins, Vice Mayor Bagley, the city council, and city manager Parajan.

My name is Carlisia Cobbins, and I'm a parent of a second grader at Samuel Tucker Elementary School.

I am also very active in RPTA, and I volunteer across the city to support students and families.

My son's second grade class has 27 students.

At that age, that means less individual attention for each student and fewer opportunities for teachers to support students who may be struggling.

One of the ways we can address these challenges is by making sure we attract and retain strong teachers.

Neighboring jurisdictions, as you've heard tonight, can offer higher salaries, and good teachers always have options.

So the school division can meet the historic collective bargaining agreement and remain competitive in attracting and keeping great educators.

These decisions affect more than 16,000 students and families.

Where we put our money shows what we prioritize.

If education is truly a priority for the city.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your time this evening.

Madam Clerk, have we had anyone else send up?

Okay.

Um that is our final speaker.

Is there a motion to close the public hearing?

Councilman.

Apologies, uh, Madam Mayor, I'll make the motion uh forthright, but uh we've gotten a couple of meal uh emails about trails.

So can we get a quick budget memo on the trails program, what the current funding is, and if we're looking to uh either cut it or if it needs additional funding.

Uh with that, I'd move to close the public hearing.

All right, there has been a motion by Councilman Aguary and a second by Councilman Chapman to close the public hearing.

Any discussion?

Hearing none, all those in favor say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

All right, the ayes have it.

Is there a motion to adjourn?

There's been a motion by Vice Mayor Bagley and a second by Councilman Chapman to adjourn tonight's meeting.

All those in favor say aye.

Any opposed, the ayes have it.

Meeting adjourned.

This department has an excellent relationship with the community.

Um that's another reason I wanted to join.

It's about making other people feel safe and establishing that trust in order to actually have a flourishing community.

This city has given me a new life.

When I landed here in Alexandria, I fell in love with the charm the city offers.

Right outside of Nation's Capitol.

When we get those 911 calls, you know, it's the worst day of people's lives, and sometimes we have to come in and handle a situation and calm everything down.

In Alexandria, I can guarantee you that if you have a question, if you need help, the most friendly outgoing people work here.

Substance use impacts our school environment because it creates a unsafe and unwelcoming learning environment here.

Substance abuse negatively impacts the health and safety of my community.

So you in Shant Woman do such substance abuse affects my school community by making my peers less focused on their grades and their school work.

Substance abuse affects our school community by decreasing our school morale.

Substance abuse could make you fall short on the goals you got for yourself.

Substance abuse can affect us or a school community by damaging our brains and just making us the person that we're not supposed to be.

Abuso de droga will impact ill escuela mucho y la salud mental.

Substance use impacts our community by having bad work turned in late.

Substance abuse affects uh my school community because it gives bad habits to school students.

Substance abuse negatively impacts our school and our community because it can lead you down the wrong path and creates unhealthy habits.

My name is Linda Odell, and I'm co-founder of the Soho Space of Rome program.

A program designed to enrich the lives of disadvantaged girls.

Many of these girls live with families in overcrowded homes.

There's been a growing trend in girls committing crimes.

We see in girls that are court involved a sense of helplessness, a sense of not having adequate adult support, not having people to talk to about their problems.

We hope to provide each participant with a personalized space of her own that values her creativity, gives her adequate lighting and study space, and the dignity that she deserves.

Then you can really transform your personal space and make it absolutely beautiful.

We hope to give the girls valuable social skills that can help them be successful socially, emotionally, and academically.

The girls learn everything from table manners to communication skills, conflict resolution skills.

We hope to foster long-term mentoring relationships so that each girl has a trusting and caring adult who they can go to for care and support.

That's the most important thing that we want these girls to know is that they're cared about.

And here they have SOT, Vice, Community Options, Motors, everything you can possibly imagine.

I was in the infantry, uh sniper for a while.

My biggest botter in the service was when I wasn't doing my job, I'd be sitting there skirt crazy.

I know in the military, you're always wanting to do something proactive, always willing to like actively help.

And the best thing about police work is there's always something to do.

I mean, I moved seven times all on active duty, and I was all hand for seven years.

And I really wanted to settle down because I wasn't getting that sense of community feeling.

Since I've been here in Alexandria, I've been able to work nonprofit, volunteer time, uh, develop friends and just memories that'll last forever.

Respect is being kind and showing kindness to those who need it the most.

I define respect as acknowledging someone's boundaries and sticking to them.

I respect my mom because she raised me to be the person I am today.

The person I respect is my grandfather because he came down with nothing and he showed me how sacrifice can take you a long way.

So you in shant woman does.

Something that is important to me is helping uh students who don't know English because I know how hard and challenging it is to learn that new language.

Therefore, I am helping but a nonprofit to teach students who don't know English to learn.

Football is important to me because it brings uh a lot of friendship and a brotherhood.

I can show respect for myself by always maintaining a positive mindset and never um saying bad things to myself.

Substance abuse could make you fall short on the goals you got for yourself.

Substance abuse can affect us or a school community by damaging our brains and just making us the person that we're not supposed to be.

Substance abuse negatively impacts our school and our community because it can lead you down the wrong path and creates unhealthy habits.

Prior to working at Alexandria Police Department, I was a stay-at-home mom.

I am passionate about working, being engaged in my community.

Our department's not so large that you get lost.

I've gained hundreds of family members.

I could see myself at this job 25 years, talking with time, I had the all of the benefits.

Prior to working at Alexandria Police Department, I was a stay-at-home mom.

I am passionate about working, being engaged in my community.

Our department's not so large that you get lost.

I've kind of learned that working here at APD, I've gained hundreds of family members.

We got a little bit of everything.

I mean, Old Town, East End District, towards the water, it's like a city.

I love coming here because it's everybody fucking you and you just feel comfortable.

When I first came in, there was numerous officers that came up to me and like greeted me.

It's just a very welcoming department.

Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to help others and be that person that people look up to and starting a good relationship with the community.

Prior to joining the Alexandria Police Department, I was in IT.

My job wasn't fulfilling anymore.

Money was there, yes, but that sense of purpose, you know, sitting in an office, dealing with corporations, it's just wasn't doing it for me.

This department has an excellent relationship with the community.

Um that's another reason I wanted to join.

Oh, look, this is right hard.

It's about making other people feel safe and establishing that trust in order to actually have a flourishing community.

This city has given me a new life.

When I landed here in Alexandria, I fell in love with the charm a city offers.

Right outside the nation's capital.

When we get those 911 calls, you know, it's the worst day of people's lives, and sometimes we have to come in and handle a situation and calm everything down.

In Alexandria, I can guarantee you that if you have a question, if you need help, the most friendly, outgoing people work here.

They have SOT, vice, community options, motors, everything you can possibly imagine.

I was in the infantry uh sniper for a while.

My biggest bother in the service was when I wasn't doing my job, I'd be sitting there screw crazy.

I know in the military, you're always wanting to do something proactive, always willing to like actively help.

And the best thing about police workers there's always something to do.

Transition.

Good.

I've worked my own cases, I've learned a lot, a lot more than I thought I would, and I'm actually really grateful for having the opportunity.

The approving process is amazing.

The staff, the training, everything.

I could see myself at this out 25 years, talking with Ty had the awesome benefits.

Um, if anything happens to me, my family's always well taken care of.

I define respect as treating everyone with positive regard, no matter their opinions, their race, their culture.

Respect is treating people how they deserve to be treated.

I define respect as treating someone the way you want to be treated and allowing someone to do what they need to do.

I define respect as admiration towards someone's qualities.

I define respect as acknowledging someone's boundaries and sticking to them.

I define respect as taking into consideration others' feelings and emotions.

Respect to me means showing kindness to others.

Respect means to me being kind and fair to everyone in my community.

I define respect as caring for the people and place around you and treating people the way you want to be treated.

The City of Alexandria provides Alex 311 to connect you to more than 175 city services in a variety of convenient ways.

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